the garden slug

The Garden Slug was invited to provide  food for the cocktail reception  of Ang Lee’s “Taking Woodstock” film premiere tonight!

We had a whale of a time planning the menu.. we wanted it to reflect the pyschedelic 70s.. Lots of colours and lots of kitschy references to Americana.

Join Joseph slug and me, on the trip we took…

Check out our brand new Pull-up banner… Sharon slug did the artwork.. nice hor?! We brought in some Fortune cookies all the way from San Francisco, they were delicious and gosh, the messages inside were a real hoot! Examples : ” The lights may all go out but your stars still shine bright” .. “The path runs smoothly for those pure in heart“. Like, what the?! :-0

Bigger pic of the Fortune cookies. Check out the “Fortune Tea pot” we brought along .. Next to it, you’ll see our take on american Chicken Chop Suey, stuffed in cool Japanese cucumbers and topped with roasted pine  nuts.

Check out the crazy colours!  These are our TieDye Brownies!
Overheard at the party…
Lady: “Oh what are these?”
Man:”These are Tie-Dye brownies”…
Lady: “So interesting, ‘Tai Tai brownies’. I’m also a Tai Tai, u know.. hahahah”

Sour dough brioche topped with melted brie, skinned tomatoes and basil.

Our spin on a New York-style  Waldorf Salad, with butter-grilled Apples, baby potatoes, almonds and sultanas in our homemade salad cream with lemon zest.

Magic Mushrooms … the legal way! Whole white buttons stuffed with hand-made Holland mash,topped with Cheddar and soy bacon and sun-dried parsley.

New agey Grilled Tofu & Broccoli kebabs, glazed with honey mustard and hand-pounded peauts. Now, all we need is a pair of birkenstocks to go with it.

Ok.. Now go dream of pink elephants and flying monkeys!! zz

We made this humongous block of Brownie Popsicles by “glueing” 40 Brownie popsicle sticks with melted semi sweet french chocolate, cooling it down..and dusting it w bitter cocoa.. We call it the Popsicle-Explosion! We hope your guests had fun seperating the brownie popsicles Happy 19th Birthday Charlyn! Stay chirpy

Earlier on today.. Joe, Jianyun ( new slug on board! ) and I whipped out our M.I.B garb again.. Black shirt+ Black pants+Black shoes+ Black face…. :-0

Oh gosh, come to think of it, even the trusty ol” slug mobile is black!  Yup, we’re off to cook for an uber cool all-black party again! Round 2 ! *ding ding*

Our work area was lit by a hypnotic chandelier… Check out the interesting shadows cast on the funky turquoise walls.Psychedelic whoa….

We’ll be using black plates for dinner service today.. I think it’s the anarex talking.. but don’t the plates look like Mickey Mouse ears from some angle? zzz…

Blended Mushroom soup with a rosemary infusion, served with a precariously-balanced Grissini stick.. Reminds me of the movie, “Man on wire“.. Have u slugphiles seen it? Best flick I caught this year.. I think it may still be screening at GV Vivo Europa.

Our guests requested for Greek Salad again, we’re glad that they liked it the first time round.. Notice the irregularly-shaped feta cheese? We’re proud that it’s sloppy-looking as it is lovingly home-marinated and doesnt come out in processed little neat cubes.

Finally, we managed to snap some shots of the main meal.. This will be the Provencale Chicken ratatouille.. The tri-coloured capsicum and aubergines spent so much time in the oven that they are almost caramelized. We created a fun side of Grilled Zucchini boat stuffed with warm Lime-buttered fussilli swirls.

This is something new   Stack of pan-seared Pacific Dory, drizzled with a Grape and Garlic emulsion, and topped with a little smear of creme fraiche. ( Same sides as the other mentioned main )

Notice the quasi dreamy effect? haha.. just for a pre-bedtime laugh..  We served a little dish of Sweet Amuse Bouche of Semi-sweet Brownie popsicle + White chocolate dipped Strawberry encrusted with jewels of mortared pistachios + Dollop of tangy Orange conserve , to balance the richness of the first two sweet items.

Hope u guys enjoyed the food pOrn! Gotta go crash now… I”m going to be the earliest slug tomorrow morning at the shop. …  Gdnite!  zzZZZzz

Joe, Jose and I went a-vroom in the trusty ol” slug mobile to an all-black party this evening.. It was hosted by some friendly folks from a well-known creative firm , and was set in their very swanky office/events hall  in a 2-storey shophouse. Think crushed velvet, chandeliers and gothic candle stands.

Ok, we have to admit that we were soo caught up in the food and service grind that we forgot to take pics! We only remembered to take snaps of the salad and the dessert.. boohoo.

This is the table setting with a jewelled table napkin holder. Very luxe!

Our 2nd appetizer of the night – Petite Greek Salad with home-marinated herby feta, cherry tomatoes and artisan vinagrette. Check out how ornate and dramatic the plates are!

The battalion of sweets, all lined up and ready for Jose to pickup! Erm, Operation Dessert-Storm? ** call the corn police!**

Close up of the Tiramisu Cube with sweet Strawberry halves,  mint and white sugar icing. Topped with bittersweet cocoa.

We were so thrilled that Francis, Agnes and their guests enjoyed the food Thank you so much for your feedback, we’re so flattered! And happy too, of course that your key clients enjoyed themselves.

Our full sit down menu for the evening was:

• 1st Appetizer : Warm soup of gently-boiled Spring vegetables in a broth of South-east Asian herbs and spices. Served with a herb infused Panini Crostini skewered on a Lemon-grass spear
• 2nd Appetizer: Petite Greek Salad with home-marinated herbed feta cheese, cherry tomatoes and artisan vinagrette
• Fish Option : Baked Snow Cod -brown bag style with an emulsion of Orange Lime butter. Topped with fresh ginger and served with Frozen Lime leaf butter by side
• Red meat Option : Premium Aust Ribeye Steak Bits in a red wine sauce of chunky button white mushrooms, rosemary and caramelized onions
• Poultry Option : Provencale Ratatouille with whole boneless Chicken Leg and slow-baked tri-coloured vegetables
• Sweets : Tiramisu Cube with sweet Strawberry halves,  mint and white sugar icing. Topped with bittersweet cocoa.
• Beverage : Gentle Strawberry and Mint-infused Iced Tea

It’s almost 1am…. gotta go tango with my pillow soon. We’ve got another busy day ahead! Tmrw, we’ll be turning a corner of the garden slug into a “living room dining area“.. Some happy folks will be having their dinner home-style, complete with leafy potted plants, cushy sofas and huggable cushions. Gdnite y’all !

The good people from Zurina Bryant Photography studio just sent us these lovely pics.. The “lovely” would refer to Zurina of course.. Check out how resplendant she looked in that pink dress!

Check out our wane ( and sweaty..) expressions.. we had to lug the gawd-heavy slug wares up and down 2 flights of stairs which were cobbled and uneven.. Yup, no elevators at Oldschool.. But it was all worth it !!

Well, Joe slug and I DID turn out in pink actually. Joe claimed that the argyle print on his polo T is pink…. and I was wearing my electric pink sneakers..

  

Glam people in pink ! quite “Tatler” we thought..  Erm.. is that a lady in a B&W polka-dotted frock? Wrong party you are at, darrrling… ( unless of course you’ve got pink accessories that we can’t see… Eh eh, you naughty slugphiles…. stop all that imagining ok?  I am referring to pink sneakers like mine, of course ! wahahahah !! I kill me ! )

These are sooo delicious, if I say so myself… Sweet Cherry tomatoes marinated with seasoned olive oil and tossed with herbed crumbly feta cheese and stuffed olives. Yums !

Ling’s buddies and family members threw her a surprise birthday party at the slug just a couple of days ago.. They looked like they had a blast!  Thank you Corrine and Jensen for planning the celebration at our humble diner ! Happy Birthday Ling, stay happy & healthy always!

Step 1: Pick a Happy Spot! ( erm.. The Garden Slug is a Happy Spot , so that means, can pick us lah! )

Step 2: Get some noisy paper whistles to drown out the blood-curdling yelps from the parrots next door.

Step 3 : Get a low-fee party mascot. Cute smile-check! Bright eyes -check! Must be willing to work for just biscuits & water -check! Doesn’t mind the indignity of wearing a paper cone on head-check! Flapper is seriously the most adorable thing ever! woof !

Step 4: Get a bunch of #1 die-hard friends ! You’re one helluva lucky gal, Ling ! Your friends & family obviously adore you to bits Such a sweet sight it was ..

Step 5: Plan for a cute singer cum guitar stummer to serenade you the whole night with syrupy tunes.. Just don’t erm forget the lyrics. .?

Step 6: Ensure that  your birthday cake is laden with liquor

Step 7 : Ensure that your kid is laden with liquor

Step 8: Get “plastered” to our walls literally!

Step 9: Take a goofy group shoot with a slug !

On Sunday, Agnes and Adrian had a birthday party for their little princess, Ashley who turned 4 Having gone through lots of kids’ parties, the slugs were prepared for an imminent cake/food fight … but the kids were really sweet and well-behaved and the slugs heaved a sigh of relief And gosh, you must check out little Ashley’s cake.. it was a really fancy creation made from pink fondant with her favourite Disney characters, so sweet !

More photographic evidence that smeared chocolate always looks glamourous on lips, regardless of age and place! Yes, they do start young these days… Say Hello to Andrea, another adorable little munchkin! Hey I just realized that their family members’ names all start with “A” ! Thank you Agnes and Adrian for celebrating your happy event at our little diner, and we hoped that your family & friends had a roaring good time- just as we did hosting the event. Pls send our regards to Little Ashley’s ah-mah too! She was such a nice lady, she came by to thank us and said some very encouraging words too.  We’ll see all of you at The Garde Slug again soon!

Oh, and 17th May was Sharon Slug’s birthday too! Happy belated birdday, hope you had lots of cake and laughter

The Garden Slug proudly sponsored the food for Shades of Pink, by up-and-coming photographer Zurina Bryant. This cool event ( lots of people in electric pink wigs!) was curated by the stylo-mylo folks at www.2902gallery.com Do say Hello to Gwen if you pop by Gallery 2902 at Old School, Mount Sophia. They have an incredibly beautiful work space complete with their own vegetable garden ! We’re glad that Zurina managed to raise funds for the Singapore Breast Cancer Foundation.

Our pink-inspired menu for Shades of Pink:

• Blueberry Muffins frosted with white chocolate and topped with logo icing of the Singapore Breast Cancer Foundation
• Big Bowl of fluffy Pink Marshmallows
• Cucumber hollows stuffed with Smoked salmon, cream cheese and fresh chives
• Little cups of marinated cherry tomatoes with Feta and stuffed olives
• Guiltless Buttermilk chicken skewers with Tri-coloured flame-grilled antipasto
• Cheese Board with selected premium cheese selection and water crackers and red grapes
• Cranberry-dusted Signature semi-sweet Chocolate Brownie popsicles
• Red ripe Strawberries dipped in exquisite chocolate and dusted with saltless crumbed pistachio

Buon Appetit!

On April Fool’s day, Joe slug and I decided that YES, we will sell our souls to the corporate bigwigs and go networking!! Haha, just kidding! Actually, we set up our brand stand at Play where we hawked our wares, and chatted with the business and media folks from 5degrees. We wanted a stand that was zany, humourous and filled with bursts of colours..We shared with everyone our range of food and bev services and exchanged business ideas with some very cool people. Thanks to Pin and Willie for inviting us!

Join our Rainbow Muffin Club.

Just email justask@thegardenslug.com and we will keep you guys and gals informed on our upcoming events, shows, exhibitions and get-togethers. ( *disclaimer, pls do not assume that the people pictured below are fabulous, we may have just caught them in their photogenic moments *)

Joseph slug’s attempt at networking #1

Joseph Slug’s attempt at networking #2 .. Look how captivated his audience looks, work it, Mo-Joe!

Some of the slug supporters! ( L-R Fiona, April and Mandy)

Sophia Slug : “Hey Irene! ”
Irene Ang :”Alamak! I know you guys! I stay just 3 minutes away from The Garden Slug. You have even sent makan to my home before leh!”
Sophia Slug : “Erm, Hi Irene!”
Irene Ang: “Ay, why you call me again? Anyway, all you people must support The Garden Slug ok?!!”
Joe slug : ( mumbles to himself) “Just look natural … Just look natural … “

The “I Do”s scribbled all over the welcome board was all Hans slug’s idea… Didn’t know that Hans had such a marshmallow center. Haiyo, must quickly find Hans a gf, so he can whip out some of that repressed mushiness..

A colourful and chirpy spread for the happy ocassion..

Jesz & Alan! They make a really cute couple, I must say, and they were just a-glowing with happiness :-)

The moment of truth! The solemization of their marriage by the Justice of peace.

Thank You Kenneth for the letting us use your pics for our blog. That’s a highly unusual pose , I must say.. But we like!

Once again, congrats Jesz & Alan, and THANK YOU for trusting us enough to plan the reception for your big day..We wish you love that’s bursting at the seams and 1 million gb of joy!